Title:Mitochondrial Medicine: A Promising Therapeutic Option Against Various
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Volume: 21
Issue: 5
Author(s): Mohannad A. Almikhlafi, Mohammed M. Karami, Ankit Jana, Thamer M. Alqurashi, Mohammed Majrashi, Badrah S. Alghamdi*Ghulam Md. Ashraf*
Affiliation:
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia
- Pre-Clinical Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589,
Saudi Arabia
- The Neuroscience Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, University
City, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, gene therapy, Huntington’s disease, mitochondrial dysfunction, Parkinson’s disease.
Abstract: Abnormal mitochondrial morphology and metabolic dysfunction have been observed in
many neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs). Mitochondrial dysfunction can be caused by aberrant mitochondrial
DNA, mutant nuclear proteins that interact with mitochondria directly or indirectly, or for
unknown reasons. Since mitochondria play a significant role in neurodegeneration, mitochondriatargeted
therapies represent a prosperous direction for the development of novel drug compounds that
can be used to treat NDDs. This review gives a brief description of how mitochondrial abnormalities
lead to various NDDs such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We further explore the promising therapeutic effectiveness of mitochondria-
directed antioxidants, MitoQ, MitoVitE, MitoPBN, and dimebon. We have also discussed the
possibility of mitochondrial gene therapy as a therapeutic option for these NDDs.